About The Area

Fort St. John

Early pioneers built Fort St. John into the largest city in British Columbia's northeast region. Modern day pioneers continue to bring a fresh spirit of exploration, innovation and community to the City that has successfully and responsibly managed the bounty of opportunities around it.

Fort St. John is The Energetic City, which reflects not only our large resource base of oil, natural gas, forestry and agriculture, but also the vitality of our residents who are keen to live and work in a community that gives back so much. Fort St. John attracts European travelers with wilderness and eco-adventures, as well as hunting and fishing. The City features excellent year-round sports facilities.

Since its beginning in 1794 as a trading post, Fort St. John has grown with opportunities like the completion of the Alaska Highway in 1942 that sparked a population boom and the discovery of high-grade oil in 1951 that set the City's course as British Columbia's Oil and Gas Capital. Today, more than 17,000 people, mostly young families with children, call Fort St. John home. The City, located in the heart of majestic Peace River country, is the largest regional service center in northeastern BC, servicing 60,000 people in the area.

Business in Fort St. John

More than 18,000 people, mostly young families with children, call Fort St. John home.

The City, located in the heart of majestic Peace River country, is the largest regional service center in northeastern BC, servicing 64,000 people in outlying areas. A safe, clean and nourishing community, it is an excellent place to live, raise families, do business, have fun and retire.

Fort St. John offers prospective investors and business operators an array of benefits as the City successfully delivers on its spirit of exploration of ideas, opportunities and improvement.

A hub for enterprise and excitement

The most important center for enterprise in the northeast region of British Columbia, Fort St. John's key industries are oil and gas, agriculture and forestry. Area residents, Fort St. John's greatest assets, are skilled employees, entrepreneurs, franchise owners and wealth creators. An excellent transportation network of air, rail and highway links keep Fort St. John plugged in to major markets in British Columbia, Alberta and beyond.

Oil and Gas

The development of oil and natural gas resources in the early 1970s fuelled a development boom. For the past several years, exploration and production activity moved at a record-setting pace, with much of the region's natural gas deposits, estimated at among the largest in North America, still untapped. About 450 billion cubic meters of marketable gas reserves have been identified so far and an estimated 650 billion cubic meters have yet to be discovered. Natural-gas production greatly exceeds provincial demand, with most of the oil and gas exported to markets in Canada and the U.S.

Expertise can be found amongst the city's wide range of skilled, energy sector professionals. Hundreds of large and small pipeline, well site construction, trucking and seismic companies are at work in the city, providing crucial support to the industry.

The provincial Ministry of Energy and Mines and organizations such as the Northern Society of Oilfield Contractors and Service Firms provide additional support to the industry. With oil and natural-gas supplies dwindling around world, Northeastern B.C. is set to become the powerhouse of Canada's energy industry. The product is available in huge quantities and the infrastructure exists to make even the largest undertaking a reality.

Agriculture

With more than 16 million hectares for active farmland, Fort St. John's economy is bolstered by agriculture. The region produces more wheat, barley and grass seed than any other region of the province. The North Peace River region's expansive prairie land base supports some 1,700 farms that generate total revenue of $77 million per year.

Forestry

The forestry industry directly employs more than 600 people and contributes $90 million per year to the local economy. Surrounded by a 4.5 million-hectare timber supply, Fort St. John embraces its responsibility as a guardian of the forest by developing the Fish Creek Community Forest and reforestation initiatives that have planted more than 50 million trees in the past 20 years. Peace Valley OSB, a $200 million oriented-strand board plant, was recently construction by Canfor/LP and started operations in November of 2005.

International players, such as Canadian Forest Products exemplify the modern era of high-tech, environmentally sustainable forestry practices. The Canfor sawmill near Fort St. John turns out high-quality, finished lumber products. The Canfor Taylor Pulpmill converts sawmill wood waste into salable wood fibers, marketed as far away as Japan and Germany.

More than 350 trucking and logging contractors back up these major operators. Spin-off from the forestry sector provides jobs and income for countless local businesses and has established the industry as a key component of Fort St. John's diversified economy.

The Ministry of Forests district office provides support and guidance for the local industry. Forest management expertise at the government and corporate level has blended with the real world know how of the men and women who make their living from the forest, while respecting the vulnerability of this vast but delicate resource.

District of Taylor

Welcome to the District of Taylor, the fastest growing community in the Peace River Region, a community that values and nurtures personal endeavor, affordable living and unrivaled amenities for the whole family to enjoy.

What makes Taylor such an attractive place to call home? That's simple. It starts right at the District Hall where the community's leaders dedicate themselves to ensuring their community provides a positive and affordable alternative for the development of residential housing, commercial ventures and industry.

Browse this website and you will come to understand why this community is on the move.

Compare our tax rates and land costs with other communities in the Peace Region. You will be impressed.

Take stock of our core amenities. They are second to none a new community hall, a curling rink that becomes a pool in summer, an arena and 18-hole golf course.

Check out our economic stability. We are home to Duke Energy, Canfor Taylor Pulp, Taylor Gas Liquids and North Peace Timber.

Immerse yourself in our compelling history and our Super Natural surroundings, the parks and trails

Originally Taylor Flats, the District of Taylor has been a part of the Peace Region for over ninety years. In 1896, Donald Herbert Taylor (Herbie), Taylor's namesake, moved west and took up a homestead at the Peace River Crossing (Peace River, AB) where he married Charlotte. Then in 1905 they moved to Hudson's Hope where he had taken a job as a factor for the Hudson's Bay Co. It was 1912 when Herbie, Charlotte and their children moved back down the river and were the first family to settle on the Flats. Herbie was a ferryman and trapper who maintained a Peace River crossing for fur traders, prospectors and homesteaders heading for the north. He also made a living by carving paddles and playing his fiddle for dances. Herbie and Charlotte lived in Taylor for the rest of their lives.

It wasn't long after the Taylor family settled on the Flats before others joined them and the debate over what to call the Flats began. Another Flats settler, Robert (Bob) Barker thought it should be called Barker Flats and would post a "BARKER FLATS" sign when Herbie was gone to his trap lines. When Bob was away, Herbie would post a "TAYLOR FLATS" sign. Herbie, however, won this little debate in 1923 when a Post Office was opened on the Taylor's farm and the Flat officially became Taylor.

Population

Population in 2006 1,384 Population in 2001 1,143 2001 to 2006 population change 21.1% Average Annual Growth Rate 2001-2006 10.9% B. C. Average Growth Rate 1996-2001 4.9% Male Population 610 Female Population 530